28.11.04

This is Scotland

It's enough to stir the heart of any Scot; particularly this close to St. Andrew's Day. As you can see, I decided not to go to the football today. Well, when I say that I decided, I really mean that I was told in no uncertain terms by 'She Who Wears The Trousers' that we were all going out for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the country, and that I was taking us all to Reekie Linn where, instead of watching 22 grown men chase a small spherical leather object full of air around a field with the aim of getting it into a big net, I was going to walk along the banks of the River Isla, look at the Reekie Linn, then take everyone to the farm cafe for hot drinks and food - and that I was paying. Okay, thought I, I didn't really want to go to the game anyway, and the money that I would save by not going could be used for Reekie Linn instead. So off we went, myself driving, Linda, Liam and his small cousin, Ross. I am glad that I went (sometimes we just have to be told what's best for us), for not only did Celtic fail to win, but they also fell off the top spot of the league (temporarily, of course, I hope), but the scenery at Glenisla was absolutely breathtaking. If you thought Reekie Linn looked impressive during the summer, then you ought to go see it in the winter. It was simply awesome, in the sense of the word used by Bill Bryson in his description of the scale of Britain's natural beauty (and I recommend everyone to read Bryson's Notes from a Small Island). I was on a roll with the camera too, for it was so beautiful up there that even a hack like me managed to photograph what I saw - in fact, I had a very hard choice deciding which photograph should represent my day. In the end, I plumped for this one, simply because it looks so Scottish.